Following earlier announcement from ITV confirming a change to the way it broadcasts its channels, Sky has now confirmed when viewers will lose some services.
- ITV1 and ITV2 standard definition channels will close next week.
- Duplicates of ITV channels in the 800s on Sky Q and Sky+HD channel lists will end.
Two weeks ago, ITV announced it would be closing its last remaining standard definition (SD) channels on satellite in October. At the time, it didn’t confirm an exact date.
However, Sky has now confirmed that its satellite viewers will lose access to ITV1 SD and ITV2 SD on Thursday 3rd October.
From 3rd October 2024, ITV channels will be exclusively available in HD-only on satellite. This comes nearly nine months after the BBC switched off its SD satellite channels. All ITV HD channels are available on a free-to-air basis.
The closure coincides with Sky’s withdrawal of support for its oldest satellite receivers. But viewers with Sky Q and Sky+HD boxes will also lose access to ITV SD channels, found on channel 803 and 816 on the channel list. Sky Q and Sky+HD already offer the full ITV regional service in HD on 103.
How will Freesat be affected
For the vast majority of Freesat users, there’s likely to be little change. All newer Freeview HD boxes already only list ITV HD channels. Older Freesat SD boxes continue to lose access to channels.
Back in January, ITV already cut the number of regional versions of ITV1 SD on satellite to just four, meaning viewers in most ITV regions could only receive regional news in HD.
ITV is currently reconfiguring how its remaining satellite TV channels are broadcast on satellite. Some services are changing frequency as they move to a new satellite transponder. Changes should be automatically applied to satellite receivers. However, if you lose ITV HD channels on satellite, you may need to reboot your satellite receiver. Freesat users may also be able to start a rescan on their boxes.
ITV will continue to broadcast in standard definition (SD) on Freeview. ITV is already HD-only on Sky Stream and Sky Glass.
By: Marc Thornham | Image: ITV